Gaming & Culture —

Metroid: Samus Returns review: A return to form for 2D adventuring

Remake feels familiar while adding welcome new features.

Game details

Developer: MercurySteamPublisher: NintendoPlatform: Nintendo 3DSRelease Date: September 15, 2017ESRB Rating: E-10+ for Everyone 10 and OverPrice: $40Links:3DS eShop | Official websiteRemaking a popular portable game from more than two decades ago is a delicate balancing act. If you're too faithful to the original, the new game will likely look and feel a bit dated after years of hardware and game design advances. Change too much, and fans of the original classic will wonder why you even bothered using the established template in the first place.

Metroid: Samus Returns on the Nintendo 3DS manages this balancing act pretty ably. Developer MercurySteam's ostensible remake of the original Game Boy's Metroid 2: The Return of Samus plays pretty loose with its source material, layering on new abilities, enemies, and features from later in the Metroid series as well as quite a few that are completely new to the franchise. Despite all the differences, though, the game shares a certain thematic familiarity with the very first portable Metroid that should please retro-minded fans.

The more things change...

Like the original Metroid 2, the overarching goal of Samus Returns is to track down all of the floating, amoeba-like, life-sucking Metroids hiding below the surface of planet SR388. Like almost every other Metroid game, this involves searching the maze-like underground caverns for suit upgrades that let you get past otherwise impassable barriers and enemies to find the Metroids' hiding places.

The design of those caverns and barriers makes Samus Returns a joy to get lost in. Even when you've found the new ability you need to make progress, it takes careful observation and strong map-reading skills in the best Metroid tradition to figure out exactly where to go next or to find hidden upgrades peppered throughout the world.

Using the second screen

When it comes to navigating Samus Returns' sprawling, labyrinthine caverns, the automatically populated map on the 3DS' bottom screen is a huge help; just glance down to get your bearings at any time. The lower touch screen also gives you the ability to place colored arrows to mark spots you may want to return to later, which can free up some valuable brain space.

More annoyingly, large touchscreen buttons on the lower screen are also used to switch between certain weapons later in the game. Reaching over to tap the screen in the middle of a firefight is extremely awkward, making me wish there was a way to map these to an actual physical button.

Maximizing your power also means doing a lot of annoying backtracking through familiar areas, which open up more fully after you find later upgrades. Thankfully there's a robust "fast travel" system that lets you quickly warp between statues to cut down on the rote travel time.

Samus Returns starts you off with a slightly more powerful version of Samus than usual. This bounty hunter comes complete with the capacity to carry 25 missiles from the outset, and she quickly finds an ice beam and charge beam that lets her freeze most enemies in place easily. This comes in handy, because most frozen enemies can be utterly destroyed with a completely new, up-close melee attack. Why waste time blasting away when you can just freeze an enemy, run up, and smash it to bits instantly?

More than that, though, Samus comes to her latest adventure with the newfound ability to aim freely in 360 degrees. Hold down the L button, and the 3DS analog nub switches from controlling movement to controlling aim, complete with a faint laser sight to guide your gun arm.

It's a liberating feeling for a character whose firing has traditionally been limited to eight (or fewer) cardinal and ordinal directions. It ends up changing the way you evaluate threats as a player, too. In previous Metroid games, half of the challenge was getting to a position that offered a clear firing angle without putting yourself in harm's way. Now you can hit any visible enemy from any desired angle without worrying overly much about where you are (this is especially true after you find the wall-piercing wave beam).

The very first Metroids you face aren't that imposing...

...but more evolved Metroids can be very challenging with a variety of floating attacks.

Look out, the Metroids have discovered how to harness electricity!

Not a face you want to see first thing in the morning...

Being able to aim in any direction really changes how this Metroid feels.

The other big change to Samus' suit this time around is an extra gauge of yellow "Aeon" energy. At first this can only be used to do a quick scan of your immediate environment, revealing destroyable blocks in the room and nearby rooms that would otherwise be hidden on the map. For someone like me, who can't find my way out of a paper bag, this kind of gentle hint system ended up being hugely important to getting around. That said, more than a few times, I still found myself searching for the one secret passageway or hidden door I needed to continue.

As the game progresses, that same Aeon energy gauge can be used to provide extra armor, rapid-fire attack, or slow down time. Each of these is needed to progress past certain hazards, but they also open up the game's combat options a little bit, especially in difficult Metroid fights. You'll have to decide whether you want to devote your extra energy to offense, defense, or mobility to suit your own play style.

Upgraded foes

The enemies have adapted to Samus' newfound suite of abilities, though. Where other Metroid games saw most enemies just move about in a limited preset pattern, almost every enemy in Samus Returns will charge at our heroine with a telegraphed burst attack shortly after spying her. You can technically dodge these attacks, but it's usually easier to use a well-timed melee attack to knock them back and stun them for traditional gun shots.

Turning even basic battles into glorified quick-time events in this way might sound annoying, but I eventually came to value the way it let me make quick work of otherwise annoying enemies; just wait a second, knock them back, and move on to the exploration that forms your main focus. At the same time, the game introduces enough armored and electrified variations on a few basic enemy types to keep things interesting, especially when a few different enemies are forced together in narrow corridors. Enemies are more generous than normal with health and item drops in Samus Returns, too, giving encouragement to go for the kill rather than just avoiding them.

In contrast to the mere annoyance of the normal enemies, the frequent fights with dozens of Metroids throughout the game are a highlight. The titular enemies start off as simple floating energy suckers that can be easily warded off with a quick melee attack and a few well-placed missiles. Soon, though, you face evolved Metroids that can skitter quickly on the ground in between floating strikes, send out tough-to-dodge fiery or electric attacks, and rain down garbage from the ceiling to boot.

Looks aren't everything

Being on the relatively underpowered 3DS hardware means Samus Returns looks noticeably blockier and lower resolution than portable games you can find on the Switch or modern smartphones. The game makes up for this somewhat with strong art direction that makes wonderful use of color to provide a believable underground world.

Despite being limited to two dimensions as far as gameplay is concerned, Samus Returns also makes some of the best use of the 3DS' stereoscopic features, giving a real sense of depth to the heavily detailed backgrounds as you run by. People playing on a non-stereoscopic 2DS will be missing out on some of the game's most impressive graphical features this time around.

The Metroids' often hidden weak points and quick movements make it hard to sleepwalk through these battles, even after the fifth time you've fought essentially the same version of the enemy. There's just enough variety to the battle arenas and Metroid evolutions to keep things from feeling too repetitive, though. And fighting these Metroids over and over also gives a good baseline to evaluate your power increase; what was a tough-to-defeat Metroid earlier becomes easier when you're equipped with more Super Missiles, energy reserves, or an infinite "Space Jump."

Thirteen years after the last two-dimensional Metroid game, Samus Returns feels like a return to form. The game's basic maze-like structure and Metroid-hunting gameplay link it immediately to games like the original Metroid 2, while a cache of well-thought-out new abilities and features keeps it feeling fresh. As long as you think of it as a spiritual successor more than a straight remake, you'll come away with the same feeling of satisfaction that the series is known for.

The Good

Well-designed, labyrinthine caverns to mine for secrets.

Huge cache of well-designed new abilities, including 360-degree aiming.

Memorable battles with titular Metroids.

Fast travel system to speed up backtracking.

Great use of stereoscopic 3D effects and strong art direction.

The Bad

Non-boss enemies can get annoying.

Graphics are noticeably blocky and low-res.

Some annoying touchscreen controls.

The Ugly

Going back to the 3DS cramped screen after playing the Switch.

Verdict: A more-than-capable entry that advances a storied action-adventure series while staying true to its roots. Buy it.

Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl

I'll probably get this assuming I get through my current play through of Super Metroid (SNES) on the N3DS XL.

I don't mind the screens on the 3DS XL at all cause the games are actually good.. the comfort of the controls leaves more to be desired for me. I haven't laid hands on a Switch, I wonder if it's more comfortable.

For all the critique Other M received, I think the gameplay part was pretty good. I liked the melee moves of Samus, making her a lot more nimble and dangerous. I'm glad that wasn't dropped and they picked it again here.

Big fan of the Metroid series, so I gotta give a strong recommendation to anyone else similarly inclined: Hollow Knight.

It's currently on GoG steam and mac, soon to release on Switch and ps4, and probably coming to xbox as well although no word yet on the latter. It's also amazing; an absolutely brilliant take on the Metroidvania genre with cool fan-service bits. A great story with a slow burn, tight mechanics, and just all-around badass.

I think I'd appreciate the differences between the original Metroid II for Gameboy, and this one which adds new elements and gameplay to the mix. AFAIK, it's satisfying to smash foes with a melee smash move, but also a subtle nod to the Super Smash Bros. series.

There's always a tradeoff between just adding better graphics, and perhaps some different/improved control schemes, vs. adding new elements.

For examples, Super Mario 2 (US) for GBA had limited voices and saving, but the Mario 64 for DS had other characters with different abilities (if I didn't know better, a sort of precursor to Super Mario World 3D for Wii U).

Maybe it is just me, but I would have rather had this going the full hand drawn 2D route rather than mediocre 3D or a mixture like Ori and the Blind Forest. Metroid lends itself to 2D.

This is likely a very low budget effort (as are all post-Switch 3DS games), and hand drawn 2D would have totally blown up that budget.

Sakamoto always wanted to remake Metroid 2, having not worked on the original. He was wanting to work on a new 2D Metroid also.

MercuryStream proposed a Metroid Fusion remake in 2015. Nintendo said no on that project but let Sakamoto and MercuryStream develop this game instead. The game has been in development for over 2 years.

And there is their interview response to the art style:"What was the reason you went with polygonal visuals for this game as opposed to the traditional pixel style of older 2D Metroids?

For myself, my answer would be, of course, we wanted to incorporate a lot of varied animation. We wanted to make it look as good as we could and we thought really the polygonal art style was much more suited toward what we wanted to be the look of the game.

I think another merit of using polygons was that, because the games in 3D, we wanted to be able to look at things from a variety of different angles and we wanted to create what we think are these very dramatic and cool cut scenes."

I think I'd appreciate the differences between the original Metroid II for Gameboy, and this one which adds new elements and gameplay to the mix. AFAIK, it's satisfying to smash foes with a melee smash move, but also a subtle nod to the Super Smash Bros. series.

There's always a tradeoff between just adding better graphics, and perhaps some different/improved control schemes, vs. adding new elements.

For examples, Super Mario 2 (US) for GBA had limited voices and saving, but the Mario 64 for DS had other characters with different abilities (if I didn't know better, a sort of precursor to Super Mario World 3D for Wii U).

The four different playable characters and their different abilities in Super Mario 3D World are most definitely based on SMB2.

Big fan of the Metroid series, so I gotta give a strong recommendation to anyone else similarly inclined: Hollow Knight.

It's currently on GoG steam and mac, soon to release on Switch and ps4, and probably coming to xbox as well although no word yet on the latter. It's also amazing; an absolutely brilliant take on the Metroidvania genre with cool fan-service bits. A great story with a slow burn, tight mechanics, and just all-around badass.

Another great game in the spirit of the original Metroid is Axiom Verge. A retro style side scroller with elements of Metroid, Bionic Commando, Rygar and others. Well worth playing.

Big fan of the Metroid series, so I gotta give a strong recommendation to anyone else similarly inclined: Hollow Knight.

It's currently on GoG steam and mac, soon to release on Switch and ps4, and probably coming to xbox as well although no word yet on the latter. It's also amazing; an absolutely brilliant take on the Metroidvania genre with cool fan-service bits. A great story with a slow burn, tight mechanics, and just all-around badass.

Another great game in the spirit of the original Metroid is Axiom Verge. A retro style side scroller with elements of Metroid, Bionic Commando, Rygar and others. Well worth playing.

That was a bit too faithfully spartan for my taste. I like a game with a more thoughtful story like Cave Story

I think I'd appreciate the differences between the original Metroid II for Gameboy, and this one which adds new elements and gameplay to the mix. AFAIK, it's satisfying to smash foes with a melee smash move, but also a subtle nod to the Super Smash Bros. series.

There's always a tradeoff between just adding better graphics, and perhaps some different/improved control schemes, vs. adding new elements.

For examples, Super Mario 2 (US) for GBA had limited voices and saving, but the Mario 64 for DS had other characters with different abilities (if I didn't know better, a sort of precursor to Super Mario World 3D for Wii U).

The four different playable characters and their different abilities in Super Mario 3D World are most definitely based on SMB2.

Makes sense. Super Mario World 3D used those characters too, and then added new ones since introduced, like Yoshi and Rosalina.

In this case you can just say Metroid, since Castlevania borrowed from Metroid and not the other way round.

Metroid was released on August 6, 1986 in Japan, Castlevania on September 26, 1986. Considering the short timespan between releases, it'd doubtful Castlevania "borrowed" anything from Metroid, but more likely independently developed a similar style of gameplay.

In this case you can just say Metroid, since Castlevania borrowed from Metroid and not the other way round.

Metroid was released on August 6, 1986 in Japan, Castlevania on September 26, 1986. Considering the short timespan between releases, it'd doubtful Castlevania "borrowed" anything from Metroid, but more likely independently developed a similar style of gameplay.

The first Castlevania wasn't really a metroidvania. It was design elements added in the later games in the series that earned the label. I do think it earned its half of the metroidvania moniker, though.

In this case you can just say Metroid, since Castlevania borrowed from Metroid and not the other way round.

Metroid was released on August 6, 1986 in Japan, Castlevania on September 26, 1986. Considering the short timespan between releases, it'd doubtful Castlevania "borrowed" anything from Metroid, but more likely independently developed a similar style of gameplay.

The first Castlevania wasn't really a metroidvania. It was design elements added in the later games in the series that earned the label. I do think it earned its half of the metroidvania moniker, though.

My understanding of the term "metroidvania" comes from the popularity of Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and how both games use a large, partitioned area map and backtracking to previously inaccessible areas once power-ups are obtained. Discussion of the similarities between the two games led to the franchise names being squashed together when describing any subsequent game that used this design.

In this case you can just say Metroid, since Castlevania borrowed from Metroid and not the other way round.

Metroid was released on August 6, 1986 in Japan, Castlevania on September 26, 1986. Considering the short timespan between releases, it'd doubtful Castlevania "borrowed" anything from Metroid, but more likely independently developed a similar style of gameplay.

The first Castlevania wasn't really a metroidvania. It was design elements added in the later games in the series that earned the label. I do think it earned its half of the metroidvania moniker, though.

My understanding of the term "metroidvania" comes from the popularity of Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and how both games use a large, partitioned area map and backtracking to previously inaccessible areas once power-ups are obtained. Discussion of the similarities between the two games led to the franchise names being squashed together when describing any subsequent game that used this design.

At least that's what I recall from the time.

True. The term Metroidvania didn't exist until Castlevania: Symphony of the Night copied the Metroid formula that had already been in existence for 11 years and used in 3 Metroid games during that span of time. My initial point was that when referring to Metroid games there is no need to use the term "Metroidvania" since the Metroid series was the originator. Just call it Metroid.

True. The term Metroidvania didn't exist until Castlevania: Symphony of the Night copied the Metroid formula that had already been in existence for 11 years and used in 3 Metroid games during that span of time. My initial point was that when referring to Metroid games there is no need to use the term "Metroidvania" since the Metroid series was the originator. Just call it Metroid.

Technically, the game genre would be "metroid-like" or "metroid clones" if you insist on only using one game to describe the genre, similar to how the term "roguelike" arose from the game Rogue, or how the FPS genre started off as a series of "Doom clones."

In this case you can just say Metroid, since Castlevania borrowed from Metroid and not the other way round.

Metroid was released on August 6, 1986 in Japan, Castlevania on September 26, 1986. Considering the short timespan between releases, it'd doubtful Castlevania "borrowed" anything from Metroid, but more likely independently developed a similar style of gameplay.

The first Castlevania wasn't really a metroidvania. It was design elements added in the later games in the series that earned the label. I do think it earned its half of the metroidvania moniker, though.

My understanding of the term "metroidvania" comes from the popularity of Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and how both games use a large, partitioned area map and backtracking to previously inaccessible areas once power-ups are obtained. Discussion of the similarities between the two games led to the franchise names being squashed together when describing any subsequent game that used this design.

At least that's what I recall from the time.

True. The term Metroidvania didn't exist until Castlevania: Symphony of the Night copied the Metroid formula that had already been in existence for 11 years and used in 3 Metroid games during that span of time. My initial point was that when referring to Metroid games there is no need to use the term "Metroidvania" since the Metroid series was the originator. Just call it Metroid.

Castlevania 2 had some rudimentary elements of backtracking and whatnot. I suspect the big reason why they got squashed together was that they differ quite a bit in surface details. Both have backtracking and unlocks, but Metroid is a sci-fi setting with shooty gameplay and SotN is gothic fantasy with melee gameplay. Combining both into the term kept the style from ossifying into purely sci-fi Metroid knockoffs.

What I don't understand is why Blaster Master never got much recognition. It took the Metroid formula and added a broader mix of gameplay styles. Such an underappreciated classic.

Should be under "The Good": A map. Period. The original had no in game map, which was frustrating (especially since I played it after some of the newer ones).

For a game of this type released after 1994, that's not "good" so much as "expected". It would make about as much sense to have a bullet point for "in color".

Sure, but for a remake of a game from before then, it's not guaranteed. Depends on how faithful they want to be to the original. (Obviously, not an issue here.)

Sure, but the last time Nintendo released a remake of an 8-bit Metroid game, they added a map.

Yep. If it's anything like what they did with Zero Mission, it will be an improved version of the original [coincidentally, I've wanted them to remake this one for like 20 years now so may be the final nail in the coffin for me to pick up a 3DS - if DQ7 wasn't already it - I can live without the 3DS DS8 - the PS2 version still looks superior in every way to me]

In this case you can just say Metroid, since Castlevania borrowed from Metroid and not the other way round.

Dunno why you are being downvoted so heavily.

Metroid games are not metroidvania games. Metroidvania games were originally Castlevania games with RPG stats and Metroid elements (find new powers to unlock new areas on the map). Metroidvania games are now games which follow that same formula, regardless of whether they sit in the Castlevania series.

I know of no Metroid game that follows that formula. If one of those downvoters would like to chime in with an example I'm not aware of, please do! I would love to be proved wrong on this count, because I love this formula, and I'd love to play a Metroid game which is also a metroidvania.